East Railay

Follow any of the tracks inland, through the resort developments, and within a few minutes you reach EAST RAILAY on the other coast, lined with mangrove swamps and a muddy shore that make it unsuitable for swimming; boats from Krabi town dock here. Accommodation on this side is a bit cheaper, and there’s more variety in price too, though – aside from a couple of gems – it’s mostly an uncomfortable mix of uninspired, low-grade developments and unsubtle bars with names like Skunk and Stone. Depressingly, much of East Railay’s hinterland is despoiled by trash and building rubble, but inland it’s another story, with a majestic amphitheatre of forested karst turrets just ten minutes’ walk away, on the back route to Ao Ton Sai.